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It's been a busy start to the holiday season, with plenty going on in the local food scene. Here's a quick look:

Urban Orchard announced last week plans to open a second taproom and cidery on the South Slope. The new location will open in the former Buxton Avenue home of Eagles Nest Outfitters, which is moving its headquarters to South Asheville.

The new space will have room for about 30 taps behind the bar, which will translate to a bar that serves local beer in addition to an even a larger selection of ciders than the flagship West Asheville taproom, which will remain open, can accommodate.

Urban Orchard is rushing to meet an apparently insatiable demand for hard cider. More than doubling its production from 30,000 gallons this year to 75,000 gallons next in the first phase of growth, the cidery plans to increase production to 120,000 gallons annually. The increased production will lead to the hiring of about 10-15 additional staff members.

There will also be a restaurant on the premises, the identity of which has not yet been released.

The new taproom will be at 24 Buxton Ave. Try Urban Orchard now at 210 Haywood Road.

Black Mountain's culinary community continues to grow, with a new location of Foothills Butcher Bar recently opened at 107 Black Mountain Ave. in the former site of Red Radish “To Go."

The newest restaurant from Casey McKissick's Foothills Meats is headed by executive chef Rachel Freihoff-Lewin, who has played key positions in numerous area restaurants including Cúrate, Rhubarb and Knife & Fork.

The restaurant, like its sister eatery in West Asheville, serves craft cocktails and beers, plus a seasonally changing menu of chef-driven dishes and beloved Foothills favorites like big, meaty burgers with tallow fries. The restaurant will also host family-style Sunday Supper Sunday afternoons.

The full-service restaurant is also part deli, with a browse-and-buy meat counter, full of carnivorous-kitchen staples like steaks and chops, plus value-added deli goods like bacon, cold cuts, pickles and spreads. The restaurant will also carry locally produced dairy and eggs.

The location will also serve as a pick-up point for Foothills' Meat Share CSA program and special orders from Foothills’ Commissary Kitchen. More about Foothills Meats at www.foothillslocalmeats.com.

A South Asheville restaurant that claimed Southern Living among its fans has permanently closed.

Fill My Cup Cafe served Portuguese food and a vegetarian sandwich called Harvest Abundance, crafted with house-made hummus, fresh vegetables and a local flatbread, a concoction that landed the dish on Southern Living's best sandwiches in the South.

Fill My Cup Cafe's last day of business was Nov. 11. According to social media posts, the restaurant's owners currently do not have plans to reopen.